


Paramount

by krysnel_nicavis



Series: the Squib Universe [9]
Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Family, Gen, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-06
Updated: 2011-03-06
Packaged: 2017-10-21 13:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/225929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krysnel_nicavis/pseuds/krysnel_nicavis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry requests sole custody of his children. What could this mean for Adam and Mitchel?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paramount

**Author's Note:**

> Approx. 1 month after “In Another Nest” & “Yellow Guitar”.

So this was it.  It was almost over.  One month had passed since Harry Potter’s marriage had ended.  And what a scandal it had caused.  A scandal he himself was not ashamed of, unlike his ex-wife.

 _Dismantling the Bloodline_

That’s what the charge was.  That was his grounds for not only the divorce but gaining sole custody of his remaining children.  At least, after this weekend, he hoped he’d have sole custody.  That woman didn’t deserve his children.  Ginny had disinherited their youngest child without Harry’s approval.  As the head of the Potter line Harry’s approval was required.  In going behind her husband’s back Ginny was now in a position to lose everything – according to the old laws it would have resulted in Ginny forfeiting her life, either death by hanging or beheading, but luckily for her the laws had been changed near the end of the nineteenth century.

Shortly after the divorce was finalized, representatives of the Legal & Magical Parentage Office and the Child Welfare Office had met with the couple and their attorneys to arrange an “observation period”.  As Harry had also requested that Ginny be stripped of her paternal rights both of their abilities and willingness to care for their children would be assessed.  Despite the fact that it was Ginny who had endangered the Potter line, as “the welfare of the child is paramount” (1), an assessment of both parents was required.

Over the last month the LMP and CW officials handling their case had conducted several extensive interviews with various friends and family members.  They’d also, under the supervisation of their Heads of House and Headmistress, interviewed the three Potter children who were attending Hogwarts.

Their children would be arriving home the next day for a long weekend of observation with their parents.  Harry and Ginny’s interviews were scheduled for today.

Harry sat in a slightly uncomfortable chair in an interview room in the Department of Family Welfare waiting for his caseworker and interviewer to arrive.  While it wasn’t as unwelcoming as most of its muggle counterparts it was still a trifle intimidating to be in.  While he was fairly confident in his abilities as a father he was also admittedly worried as well.  What if Ginny’s friends convinced the department that Ginny was the more suitable parent?  She was, after all, their _mother_.  Was that not deemed more important for children?  A mother?

His train of thought was interrupted by the witch and wizard who entered the room.  Harry stood to greet them.

“Good morning, Mr Potter,” his caseworker Esmeralda Mallory, a tall brunette of forty-nine, addressed him kindly.  She was the type of person who was as efficient as Percy Weasley but far less rigid. “This is Donovan Taylor from the Child Welfare Office,” she introduced the older gentleman who had entered with her. “He will be conducting your interview.” The man looked to be about seventy and gave Harry the feeling of ex-military.  Harry wondered how involved in the two wars against Voldemort the man had been.

“Good morning, Ms Mallory, Mr Taylor,” Harry shook both their hands.  He took a calming breath as they seated themselves at the wooden table.  Harry was seated across from the others.  Taylor opened his brief case and set up a small assortment of objects: an auto-stenographer (a stenographer’s type-writer that was run magically), a voice recording orb (which worked like a muggle voice recorder), and a truthoscope (a large diamond-shaped version of a sneakoscope.  While the sneakoscope was designed to sense untrustworthy people, the truthoscope was designed to detect lies). (2)

“This is Donovan Taylor of the Child Welfare Office, in the British Ministry of Magic,” Taylor began after the equipment was set up.  Harry watched the auto-stenographer begin typing and the recording orb glow a faint blue.  Taylor stated the purpose of the interview, the date and time, Harry’s identity, and listed Ms Mallory as witness to the interview. “Now, Mr Potter,” he turned to Harry. I understand that you wish for custody of your three elder children to be stripped from your ex-wife, one Ginerva Molly Weasley.”

“Yes, sir,” Harry nodded.

“Would you like to explain why?”

“The extent of Ginny’s disregard for my children became apparent to me when I discovered the existence of our youngest child,” Harry replied.

“Discovered the existence of?” Taylor questioned. “Were you unaware of the child’s pending birth?”

“No,” Harry frowned. “I was aware that she was pregnant with him.”

“The how were you unaware of the child’s existence?”

“I wasn’t present during the boy’s birth,” Harry explained. “I was told that he had been stillborn.”

“Did you not request proof of this?”

“I was informed that it had been taken care of before my arrival and not allowed to view the body.”

“And the lack of a body for a funeral didn’t make you curious?”

“I was also told that the body had been cremated.”

“By whom were you told all this?”

“My mother-in-law, Molly Weasley. I had assumed at the time that my ex-wife was grieving as she showed no reaction to the death of our son.”

“And you made no effort to verify these statements? You did not question your ex-wife’s lack of grief in the loss of her child? I am given to believe that she wished dearly for another child.” Taylor spoke in an almost Snape-like manner.

“Yes, we both did. We’d been wishing for nine years to be blessed with another child.” The questions were making Harry frustrated. “I thought she was in shock.”

“And when her lack of emotional reaction continued, what did you do to help her?”

“I tried to be there for her,” Harry replied. “I tried talking to her. And I did so for two years.”

“And yet, you remained unsuccessful. I must say that your apparent lack of concern with regards to your youngest child’s life is quite troubling enough. Being unable to console a grieving wife makes me question your ability to care for three school age children.”

“But she _wasn’t_ grieving,” Harry snapped. “ _She_ stopped talking to _me_. She pushed me away. She pushed _my children_ away.” Harry forced himself to take a calming breath. “She’s more concerned with her social standing than she is about her family. I realized that the moment I knew for certain that our youngest son was alive.”

“Why did that realization take you so long?”

This gave Harry pause. “I don’t know exactly. I’ve always been more focused on my children than her.”

“So you neglected her?”

“No, I didn’t say that.”

“Your statement implies it.”

“How could I neglect her when she was never around?” Harry demanded.

“And you still believed her.”

“I believed her mother,” Harry countered. “Who has never before given me reason to doubt her word.”

“According to the records, her mother did the exact same thing she did.”

“It wasn’t the same,” Harry insisted. “It wasn’t any better, but it wasn’t the same. Both Molly and her husband Arthur had agreed on the disinheriting of their youngest son.”

“Be that as it may, it doesn’t change the fact that you remain still unconcerned with _your_ youngest son,” Taylor pointed out. “Even after you became aware of his continued existence.”

“I have no cause to be concerned for his wellbeing at present,” Harry stated. “I know he is well looked after by his other parent. He is currently fine where he is.”

“And what about later? He _is_ still legally your responsibility,” Taylor stressed. “A responsibility you have, thus far, failed in. How can you be expected to succeed in your responsibility to your elder children when you so clearly fail with regards to your youngest?”

-o0o-

Adam smiled as he watched his son attempting to practice playing his little guitar.  He’d just finished giving the toddler a bath and was now in need of a change of clothes.  His son seemed to think splashing Daddy with as much water as possible was the best bathing game ever.  He was just about to text one of his band mates to watch the two-year-old while he took a shower when there was a knock on the door.  Adam quickly peeled off his soaked shirt and hung a towel around his neck, patting his skin and hair dry as he went to answer the door.

Opening the door, Adam froze at the sight of who was standing in the hallway. “Harry Potter,” he stated quietly, taking in the shorter black-haired man in front of him.  He had a sinking, and slightly frightening, feeling in his gut.

\- 30 -

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Wow. That ended up longer than I anticipated. I’m actually not disappointed about how it turned out. If you made it through the fic, hope you liked this instalment to the series. Please review my stories! I get sad when no one does.
> 
> Footnotes:
> 
> (1) This is actually a phrase that comes up during several criminology classes when discussing child welfare and custody.
> 
> (2) I figured that veritaserum would be reserved for the interrogation of criminals or in criminal situations and some other form of truth detection would be required for an interview such as this.


End file.
